


The Peculiar Case of a Broken Heart

by Dean Of Hearts (knight_of_the_internet)



Series: The Cases of Detective Dean Winchester And the Charming Lab Technician [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Detective Dean Winchester, Lab Technician Castiel, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-22 21:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6094702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knight_of_the_internet/pseuds/Dean%20Of%20Hearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a man is murdered behind the clinic where lab technician Castiel Novak works, Detective Dean Winchester is put on the case. </p><p>The only problem is he starts to feel for the quirky lab technician just when conflicting evidence manifests. Will Dean be able to solve the mystery before a mass murder? Or will Castiel's heart be broken?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just in Case There's a Murder...

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted fic since 2014- be nice please.  
> Also watch out for bad language  
> TW: Murder, crime, very mild gore

 

It was a Thursday morning when a jogger, out on an early morning run, was forced to take a detour into an alley behind a clinic. Just as the jogger was about to turn into an adjoining street, she saw a red-stained lump of fabric. The jogger stepped towards it, slowly reached out ,and took the fabric by a clean corner. Peeling it back, a frightful sight greeted her. Before her eyes was a horrific scene of a bloody, lifeless, shirtless male. The strangest feature though, was the strange blade in his chest.

* * *

 

 

YEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

(My homage to CSI)

 

 

* * *

 

 

Detective Dean Winchester desperately needed a cup of coffee this morning. There had been a series of robberies in the precinct's area and earlier today a civilian claimed to have seen the culprit. When the detective came to the woman's house, she insisted that the robber was a pack of fairies. When he had come back to the department, he became the precinct's personal joke for the morning. It was enough to drive anyone over the edges of coffee addiction.

As Dean went to the coffee maker, the Lieutenant, Ellen Harvelle, wearing a sensible pantsuit and low heels, stepped in his path. "Just where do you think you're going?" she said with her arms crossed in the way of a coffee-needy Dean.

"With all due respect ma'am, I believe I deserve a coffee this morning, or somethin' else-," Dean shrugged, "it's five p.m. somewhere."

"Listen here _pixie boy_ ," Dean rolled his eyes, "if you would just get your head out of your ass you would have heard that there was a murder behind the clinic on 83rd and that it may be a serial killer."

At this, Ellen captured Dean's full attention. "I'm sorry, say what?"

Ellen rolled her eyes. "CSI's found a note jammed down the throat of the vic. Captain thinks that the perp will strike again soon."

"What'd the note say?"

Ellen put up her hands in defeat. "Don't ask me, only authorized personnel on the case have clearance."

Dean and Ellen shared a look. Quickly, Ellen shuffled to the side as Dean walked at a fast pace to the Captain's office.

* * *

 

Dean almost broke down the door to Capt. Robert Singer's office in a desperate attempt for the case assignment. Just as he barged in, Bobby finished a phone call and was putting down the phone. "Bobby!" Dean exclaimed.

"I need that case!" Bobby just looked at Dean.

"What case?"

"You know, the potential serial on 83rd."

"Oh that case." Bobby said sarcastically. "In that case: **NO**!"

"What do you mean no?" Dean cried out while putting up both of his arms in a large, questioning shrug.

"Until you get along with your partner, I am letting you nowhere near a potential high-profile case such as this one."

Dean groaned in frustration, "It is not my fault that an innocent suspect got shot!"

"You were out on a lunch run Dean! And that suspect was a delivery boy."

"How were we supposed to know?"

"He was the mayor's son! It was all over the news that he was delivering meals to the local less-fortunate families! And all you had to do was go and get sandwiches for the department!" Bobby was in full dad mode with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Is this all because you're still pissed that you said no pickle and the sandwich had extra pickles on it? I swear Bobby, it was _her_ who ordered it!" Dean put his hands up in defense.

" _No_ , I'm not still mad about the pickles! However, when a man says no pickles on his sandwich, he means _no pickles_." Bobby sighed and then took a deep breath. "Listen I would love to give you this case, I really would. But I can't have you on a case that might involve higher authorities if you and your partner can't get along!"

"Look, I offered an olive branch. She burned it just like she burned down that tree in the park."

"She only burned it down because _you_ pranked her while she was smoking!" Just as Bobby sat at his desk, Dean gave him an attempted puppy-dog look.

Bobby stared at him dead straight  in the eye."If you screw this up in any way, you will be on desk duty for months."

Dean jumped and put his hands up in celebration, "Bobby you are the best!"

He went up to the captain's desk and gave him a hug. "I know! Now, GET OFF, and get out of my office!"

Dean ran out of the office in glee, and up to his partner's desk. "Guess what? We have the case on 83rd!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's Dean's partner? Stay tooned for the next chapter to find out!  
> (which will probably be coming pretty soon)  
> Other notes:  
> -Cas is coming in soon.  
> -The "YEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" is a reference to CSI:Miami


	2. Howdy Partner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very short establishing shot.  
> Watch out for bad language.

"Get the hell away from my desk you little shit." Detective Bela Talbot said to Dean.

"I'm sorry _princess_ , but we've got a _case_ , so let's head out." Dean said as he went to grab her keys.

Bela abruptly stood to get the keys back, "We are not going anywhere until a case debrief."

"I'll tell you all the details on the way come on." He reached forward for the keys, but Bela took a step back, causing him to trip.

"I'm not letting you drive my car after it just got repaired."

"Aw c'mon, it wasn't my fault we ran into that deer." Dean complained.

"That deer was only in the way because we got lost, and we got lost because you couldn't listen to simple directions!"

"Tomato tomahto, let's go! There's a possible serial in the alley 83rd."

Bela's eyes slightly widened, "then what are you standing around for you dimwitted twit, let's go!" Dean just groaned and facepalmed.

 

* * *

 

 

"YOU TWAT, IF YOU CHANGE THE STATION ONE MORE TIME I WILL SHOOT YOU!" Bela screamed at Dean as he was trying to find a suitable station.

 

Dean changed the station.

 

"THAT'S IT, THE NEXT TIME YOU TURN YOUR BACK I. WILL. KILL. YOU."

"Boo you whore, go back to your queen."

Bela pulled over. "What are you-" Dean was interrupted mid sentence.

He made gurgled noises as Bela had a tight grip on his neck. "Listen to me very closely," her voice was eerily low and quiet, "there is no way the Captain would let us on this case unless we could get along. I'm assuming there will be a penalty if we can't. Well, more like you having an INABILITY TO ACT PROFESSIONAL. So I will tell you this now," she stared at him dead in the eyes,"you screw this up you will be doing my paperwork for three months and will be buying my lunch for four. Failure to comply will result in death and me telling your brother what really happened while you were undercover on the missing strippers case. Are we understood?"

"You bitch! You wouldn't dare tell-"

" ** _Are we understood_ _?_** "

Dean lowered his eyes. He didn't have a choice. "Yes ma'am."

"Great. Now tell me what we have so far." She said as she resumed driving into the oncoming traffic.

"This morning a woman was jogging and found the body covered. He was shirtless with a blade in his chest."

"What do we know about the vic?"

"CSU says he's in the late thirties and think the time of death was late last night at around midnight. Their working on identifying him right now."

"Any witnesses?"

"Jack squat. Though, they're bringing a couple homeless locals into the station for questioning this afternoon."

"Has anyone contacted anyone at the clinic?"

"Only preliminarily, I told them to wait on us."

"What makes them think it could go serial?"

"The note jammed down his throat says, 'this heart breaker, has been heart broken, this has been fun, I'm going to collect some tokens. see you again XOXO'. It's like _Gossip Girl_." Bela gave him an unamused face. "Still, _Dan,_  that's kind of creepy." This time Dean received the beginning of a glare. "And get this, from what I hear, the vic was stabbed by a strange blade."

"Let's see for ourselves. We're here. Remember, truce." Bela said as she looked pointedly at Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UP NEXT: Our favorite blue eyed angel- er I mean, lab technician.  
> NOTES:  
> The "Dan" is a character on Gossip Girl
> 
> That's all folks  
> XOXO  
> -knight_of_the_internet


	3. Castiel, Technician of the Lab

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY FINALLY SOME CAS ACTION

  
"Castiel, after you finish testing the tissue sample, will you give me this week's blood report for transfusions?" asked a medical technologist.

  
"Here you go Dr. Zien," said senior lab technician Castiel, as he handed the report over to the doctor. 

In the background, a small commotion was heard from the testing clinic's lobby.

  
Just as Castiel was going to ask the doctor if he knew what was going on, the secretary, Ava, walked into the testing labratory.

  
She said, "Dr. Zien, Mr. Novak, there are some police who wish to talk to you."

  
Dr. Zien asked,"Do you know what they are inquiring about?"

  
Ava just shook her head and replied,"All I know is a body was found in the back alley this morning."

  
"And they wish to speak to us?" a shocked Castiel asked. Ava nodded. Castiel turned toward the doctor and said,"Dr. Zein, should we perhaps go out to the lobby and see what the police need?"

  
"That sounds wise Castiel." Dr. Zein said. He turned towards Ava and held out his hands in a polite gesture, "Lead the way Ms. Wilson."

  
Ava turned and lead them out to the lobby where a woman, who seemed quite irked, was waiting with a uniformed officer.

  
The woman approached the pair and said, "Hello, my name is Detective Bela Talbot, I'm here to ask a couple questions regarding the body found in the back alley."

  
"I'm Dr. Zein, and this is lab technician Castie Novak" Dr. Zein said as held out a hand and Bela shook it, "we are happy to comply with any needs the department has."

  
"That is great. My partner is using the bathroom right now, he can interview Mr. Novak. In the meantime Dr. Zein, is there anywhere private we can speak?"

  
"Yes, I'll show the way detective." He turned to Castiel, "When Detective Talbot's partner comes out, (not for another few seasons ;')) take him to Conference Room B in the Edlund wing."

  
"Will do Dr."

  
After Castiel saw his boss and the detective leave, he decided to wait, while sitting down, for the other detective. Just as he was about refill the food on _Neko: Atsume_ , his eyes were caught on a man with bow legs, a god-like complexion, and Disney princess eyes, walking towards him.

  
The man was so mesmerizing that Castiel didn't almost hear it when the beautiful stranger said,"H-i, have you seen a woman, British detective about yea tall." the stranger held his hand up at about the same height as the female detective currently speaking to the doctor.

  
"Y-yes." Castiel suddenly awkwardly stood up. _Nice first impression Castiel_ he thought, "She's currently speaking to my superior right now. I'm assuming you're her partner?"

  
"You would be right. My name's Dean." awkward short pause. "Winchester. Detective Dean Winchester. The second."

  
"Well hello Detective Dean Winchester the second, my name is Castiel and I am a technician of the lab." Castiel said as he held out a mildly sweaty palm. "I was told for your inquiry we would have to adjourn to a conference room."

  
Dean just smiled and said,"Lead the way Castiel, technician of the lab."

 

* * *

 

As the pair took a right into the Edlund hall Dean found himself being very subconscious. _Damnit Dean. A murder investigation is not a place to pick up guys._

  
"-'er here."

  
"Hmm?" hummed Dean as he was quickly drawn out from his deep thoughts.

  
"Um. We're here- at the conference room. Feel free to ask for what you need."

  
_Nice going Dean, he probably thinks you zoned out because you're bored._

  
"I'm gonna need your number then." Did he just say that aloud? "If I have any need to contact you," he quickly covered up with his face flushed, "here's mine if you ever need it." They quickly, and awkwardly exchanged numbers.

  
They both took a seat at the conference table. "So Mr. Novak-"

  
"Please, just Castiel, Mr. Novak is my brother." Castiel said with his face equally, if not more flushed than Dean's.

  
Dean politely smiled at Castiel's flustered cuteness. "Castiel then, the reason we want a few statements from you is because you were working here late last night. Correct?"

  
"Yes. My beehive is in danger of colony collapse disorder and I got the authorizations to run some tests with the equipment here."

"Your bosses let you use the equipment for personal use?"

  
"Just for the bees. I give everyone here honey for holidays and birthdays."

  
Dean nodded and wrote the information onto his notepad.

  
"And what was your superior doing here last night?"

  
"We were waiting for a test to process. That's why I was running my bee tests last night. The samples needed to be monitored every few hours and it was our shift."

  
"What time did you go home?"

  
"Around 12:30. The other technicians came in to serve their shift."

  
"Did you notice anything strange happening around midnight?"

  
"No, not really. Although..."

  
"Yes?" Dean straightened up (ha, no).

  
"One of my old high school teachers called me."

  
Dean relaxed and chuckled, "At midnight?"

  
"He moved away to where there is a time difference."

  
"Ah. And what did he want? If it's not too personal."

  
"No it isn't. He just wanted my opinion on a formula his grandson drafted. In my opinion it was like _The Last Airbender_ \- not at all worth the hype."

  
"I know right? The cartoon was worth the volumes."

  
"Me, being the nerd I am, have all of them on DVD." Castiel blushed at what he just admitted to the detective.

  
"Boy do I feel bad about having them on Limited Edition Blu-ray."

  
"Don't. You were one of the fortunate ones who were able to acquire a set before it sold out."

  
"Well, if you like, you could always come to my place and watch them." Dean halted at once when he realized what he just said. "I'm sorry that was completely inappropriate and unprofessional of me to do."

  
"Don't be. I'd love to take up on that offer _after_ the investigation."

  
The two men were now profusely blushing.

"Ahem, one more thing, can you identify this man?" Dean held up a picture of the victim.

After seeing it, Castiel collapsed onto a chair. "That's- that's my ex."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UP NEXT: Who is Castiel's ex? What does Castiel have to do with the murder? Tune in next time to find out!  
> I'm horrible I know.  
> See what I did there? Ava was actually a secretary  
> Also: Neko: Atsume  
> AND BTW: CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) is a serious issue that threatens many beehives every year.
> 
> ALSO: The next chapter will be up Sunday the 6th


	4. Feelings are things too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas relays the story of his college romance

Castiel started having a panic attack.

  
"Cas! CAS! CAS! Listen to me we need to stay focus." Castiel looked at Dean questioningly.

  
"'Cas?'"

  
Dean facepalmed. _Way to go idiot. First you flirt with the guy on duty, then you show him a picture of a his dead ex, and then you don't call him by his actual name._

* * *

  
An hour later

 

* * *

  
Bela had quickly helped Dean calm 'Cas' down from his panic attack. Cas was currently wrapped in a shock blanket.

  
She was currently talking to Cas herself, in a un-Bela-like, soothing voice.

  
"Castiel? Now, that you're calm, I would like to ask you a few questions about the victim."

  
"You mean Ezekiel." Cas said, a slight quaver in his voice.

  
"Yes, I do. Now, can you tell me where and when you met?"

  
"We met a couple years ago, back in college. I was his TA in a core class, and one day he came to me asking for help on his first college thesis paper."

  
"Go on," Bela pressed on gently as she was taking notes.

  
"We started dating after that semester ended. We had our fall out abut three months later." Cas said in a quite, solemn voice. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears.

  
Dean was watching from the corner and had the strong urge to hug the other man.

  
"He broke up with me," Cas quickly added "because we wanted different things. I wanted to move here, and he wanted to stay in LA. I moved later that year and got a job here."

  
"Has he made any contact with you ever since?" Dean asked, breaking his streak of silence.

  
"No, I haven't heard from him since the move, but I was aquaintinces with his younger brother."

  
Both Dean and Bela took note of this.

  
Bela got up from the chair she was sitting in, and held out a hand to Cas,"Mr. Novak, I think we have all that we need for now. Thank you for your co-operation. Feel free to call should you have anything else to share."  
She headed towards the door and said, "Dean, I'll just wait in the car. Don't make me wait too long." She walked out an closed the door to the room behind her.

  
Deam walked over to where Cas was sitting, "So, how do you feel now?"

  
"I'm... not sure. I want to say sad, but we weren't that close. I mean, when he broke up with me, I was kind of relieved because then I wouldn't have to. I just feel terrible that I haven't reached out to him. At the same time I feel better knowing that have I reached out to him I would have to give up on moving here and achieving my dreams. I didn't even love him." He said the last sentence in a horrified whisper. "I couldn't reject him, because if I did things would get awkward in class. I only feel guilty. Not because he's dead, but because I wasted three months of his life, making him think I loved him back." Cas looked down in shame.

  
There was a short moment of silence.

  
"Is it bad that I'm rambling on why I don't feel bad about someone I know dying?"

"Not at all," Dean quikly supplied, "you shouldn't have to feel obligated to feel anything just because you dated him. Emotions are not something you can control. You may be able to control how you convey and mask them, but deep down, if you don't feel something for somebody, there's nothing else you can do but hope for the best for both you and that person."

  
"Thanks. By the way, I don't think you should leave your partner waiting for too long." Cas said.

  
"Are you kicking me out?" Dean asked with a wry, subtle grin brushing the corner of his lips.

  
"I can't have dinner with you on next Saturady if your partner kills you for testing her patience."

  
"Oh yeah? And where exactly are we having dinner?"

"The Italian resteraunt over on 5th street."

  
"It's a date." Dean said as he started heading out.

  
"I hope it is," Cas replied.

* * *

 

Dean walked out to where Bela's car was parked. As he was getting closer, Bela rolled down the passenger window and yelled out to Dean, "WINCHESTER, we have another body on Smith street!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UP NEXT: Who died?  
> The next chapter will probably be up by Saturday or next Monday.


	5. aaannnnnnnndddd... Another Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A museum worker finds a surprise.  
> *This is a super short establishing shot*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild gore

Adam had a weird day at work. First the cute museum curator says good morning, then the janitorial staff asks if he could do them a small favor, and then, what takes the cake? His boss is down with strep and Adam gets off early.

  
The small favor of the janitorial staff that Adam obliged to do, was to lock up the back door by the dumpster adjacent to a decently nice alley.

  
As Adam was about to lock the door, he realized he needed a smoke so he went outside.   
As he leaned against the wall of the museum he noticed a blue tarp over a lump surrounded by a suspicious pool of dark liquid.

  
He was now very scared.

  
He walked over to the lump with his brother's number pre-dialed on his phone.

  
In one move he pulled off the tarp entirely, and the sight that befell upon him was horrific.

  
The was a male body, shirtless and covered in blood. The most horrific aspect, were the eyes that were dead and open, seemingly staring into Adam's soul.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments would really help me make these chapters longer
> 
> New note from June 2016: this fic is on a mini hiatus until I get the divine inspiration and motivation to continue. (which will most likely be coming midsummer,)


End file.
